Nintendo not only upset the Zelda community but also gamers who like to hack and slash. The new title Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the one that will come firsthand to the Nintendo Switch 2, and it will feature enormous conflicts in which you could meet with hundreds of enemies at the same time. The players who have already started pre-ordering the game are the ones who spread the buzz among the community after they saw the announcement with “1 vs 1” and “1 vs 100” combat scenarios.
So, it is only fair to ask what is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment? It is the latest addition to the famous Warriors-type Zelda spin-off series. Here, you command the most historic heroes from the Legend of Zelda universe and literally fight your way through thousands of enemies. This is not the classic Zelda-style puzzle-solver game; rather, it is the combat chaos of pure and gigantic scale coming to the next-gen Nintendo Switch 2, which makes one wonder how much more dramatic these fights are going to be compared to the first Switch.
Also, the timing that is quite strange should be taken into account. In response to the announcement on Twitter, some users said that the game was practically one day away from release. Paul Gale Network tweeted, “1 day until the release of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment!” pointing out that all those who have been waiting for this title will soon be playing it. That is one of the quickest transitions from announcement to release we observe these days amidst the gaming era where games are being announced years in advance.
It was a rollercoaster of feelings for the players with respect to the news, which is always entertaining to track. There were a few very positive comments, one of which was from the user Crimsonnn, who stated that he is “so ready for hours and hours of zelda musou goodness”—which, honestly, is the same here. Combining the Warriors formula with Zelda’s marvelous world and characters has always been a great combination, and Age of Imprisonment seeks to follow that trend.
The other category of gamers used this as a reason for obtaining a new Switch 2 console. MalikonIce’s words were skepticism and “Hmmm is this what convinces me to get a switch 2? Probably not but I’m getting closer” which very honestly reflects the feelings of many people probably at this moment. A superb exclusive launch title could bring the skeptics to the point of switching over to the new hardware early.
One burning question of canon arose, which is always a crucial issue in the Zelda fandom. FarestR06 nearly plead “PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF FCK BE CANON” which raises the question of whether Nintendo will indeed put this on the official Zelda timeline or treat it as a fun sideline like in the past Hyrule Warriors games? The Zelda timeline is already so complicated that adding more branches seems just to add to the confusion, but hey, maybe this will help in clarifying some issues? Probably not.
There have also been many interesting comparisons made. Dave19Brown83 said “Hack and slash > Rip and tear” so he was obviously trying to take a jab at doom and other games of that genre. Meanwhile, AC_Roald’s tweet was about “1 man vs 100 gorilla”—which, let’s be honest, does sound like something straight out of a Zelda game. Ganon always has some new monster horde to unleash and create problems.
The players’ excitement is so immense that it is almost palpable, as some of them have even begun the countdown to the moment when they will finally be able to play the game. Medalion2889 said, “Please release this at midnight… no more waiting!” while ichi 番 was glad to post “less than a day to go” and added some fire emojis for the sake of emphasis. The struggle for a midnight release is indeed real, especially when the wait for a new Warriors game has already been so long.
Besides, the Nintendo Switch 2 is being positioned as a fascinating new player in the market right from the start. It is a significant victory for Nintendo to have the major franchise like Zelda, though in the form of a spin-off, at or close to the launch time. It could give the new users a reason to remain with gaming on this device until the main titles come. And don’t delude yourself—cutting down hundreds of Bokoblins with the Master Sword will never be boring, no matter what Nintendo console you are on.
The announcement tweet has already guaranteed that pre-orders can be made which implies that die-hard fans can now secure their copy. The sales numbers of the previous Hyrule Warriors games have just been incredible, particularly Age of Calamity which prints money; thus, it will not be a surprise if this one also rolls out some huge number of the same. The PlayStation and Xbox platforms also have their own exciting exclusives coming soon.
